Air-heater cleaner



July 8, 1930. s. F. cox

AIR HEATER CLEANER Filed June 21 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY5 July 8, 1930. s. F. cox

I AIR HEATER CLEANER Filed June 2l INVENTOR. an'mel 71" Cox A TTORNEY July 8, 1930. 1 s. F. cox 1,769,987

AIR HEATER CLEANER Filed June 21 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

-5a7nu 42: c0)? A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 8, 1930 UNITED STATES SAMUEL F. COX, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO DIAMOND POWER SPECIALTY I PATENT OFFICE CORPORATION. OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, COEPOR-ATION OF MICHIGAN AIR-HEATER CLEANER Application filed June 21,

The invention relates to cleaners and refers more particularly to an improved cleanmg or soot blowing apparatus adapted for regenerative heating devices.

One of the objects of the invention resides in the provision of means for automatically periodically controlling one or more cleaners, whereby cleaning fluid will be discharged adjacent parts of the heating devlce to be cleaned. A further feature of the inonly whenthe hot gases are flowing and in the direction of flowof the hot gases.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts,

Figure 1 is a side elevationview of the .heating device showing my invention applied thereto;

1 Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a section through 33 of Figure l, illustrating diagrammatically the control for the blowers for securing the timed relation of the cleaning fluid dis-' charge, with respect to the flow of the hot represents the heater which may beef any preferred construction suitable for use in connection with my invention as will be ap parent as the description progresses. The heater A may be formed with three chambers 10, 11 and 12, in each of which is an air C for controlling the hot gases, which latter may be termed for convenience a gas valve assembly. The air valve assemblies 13, each comprise an inlet valve E com munieating with a'common air supply chamber 13 and an air outlet valve F communicat ng With a {101111110111 Ou let ham r i flow of the hot flue gases 1926. Serial No. 117,548.

which may lead to any suitable point of use for the heated air, such as a furnace, boileretc. The valves E and F are mounted for simultaneous actuation on a common valve stem G. Likewise the gas valve assemblies 1 C each comprise inlet valve H, communicatmg with a common supply chamber 15 for the hot gases and a gas outlet valve J communicating with a common outlet chamber 16 which may lead to a stack in accordance with common practice. The hot gases supplied to chamber, 15 may be conducted from any suitable source of supply, such as the product of combustion of a boiler furnace etc. on a common valve stem K.

A fan 17 furnishes air to be heated, under pressure, to the'chamber 13 and an exhauster 18 serves to pull the'hot gases through the heating device, the fan and eXhauster being operated by a motor 19. V

The chambers 10, 11 and 12 may be filled with regenerative material 20, such as thin sheet steel having the property of readily absorbing the, heat from the hot flue gases and giving up the absorbed heat to the air as the sheets are alternately subjected to the and the air to be heated.

assemblies, the mechanism illustrated being of the type illustrated in the patent to Dryssen, 1,543,909, June 80, 1925; In this type of mechanism, a motor 21 serves to ro tate an actuating rod22 having cranks 23 for rocking means 24, apposite ends of the latter being connected toreciprocate pairs of air and gas valve assemblies B and C respectively, as will be readily understood. It

will .be seen the gas and air valves for valve assembly B, and a valve assembly whet-Sande ichamber'argnever d. at the same-time, and by suitably arranging the cranks 23, preferably 120 apart, the moveil- 286 91" the heater bf i alw 95? 1 Valves H and J are likewise mounted providing continuous flow of air and hot gases through the heater.

. In this manner the air from the blower 17 supplies air to be heated, under pressure, to

chamber 18'whence it is admitted at proper intervals, controlled by valve-E to chambers 10, 11 and 12. In passing through these ehambers,.the air is heated by the regenerati'Ve'sheets-QO which have been previously heater A.

heatedby contact'with the flow of thehot gases through the chambers, the flow of hot gases being controlled by valves J-and H, as

will be readily understood. 7 V

I have invented simple and efliclent means for automaticallyperiod'cally cleaning the regenerative sheets and other parts of the If desired, a separate blowing system may be provided. for each chamber,

each preferably comprising a. pair of blower elements .L andM having longitudinally spaced cleaning-Ifluid discharge nozzles 25. The blower elements are shown lOCZLtGLllIl T the lowerportions of the chambers 10, 11 and 12 wfth nozzles directed upwardlyv for 3 dischargingthe cleaning fluid such as steam,

.air or the like, adjacent the sheets 20 and other parts of the heater to be cleaned. These blower elements may 'be rockingly or rotatably mounted in.rear'bearings Nand forward wall box bearings 'O, whence they pass outwardly to the headP, The pairs of blow- T er elements may be supplied with cleaning fluidbybranch supply pipes Q,communioat- 1,1 I ing with the main supply header R. Solenoid valves S, S and S -serVe to'cont'rol the sup-' ply of cleaning-fluid through the branch supply pipes on) the respectivepairs of blower elements L andflM.

Foroscillating or rotating the blower element to cause the nozzles 25 to sweep through 'a suitable are such as,'substantially 90, each blower element is provided with an actuating lever 26. fixed at one end to the blower eleends connected to the reciprocatory shaft-27.

1 rocatedg by connection togthecrank disc 29,

. thi'ough" crank armBO. By suitable arrangement of the r duction gearing 29, the ele nient may be rotatedat any desired angular velocity. I have found that'a speed of two ation; of tlie'heater A.

: In order to automatically periodically '1 tuate the solenoid valvesS, Sf'and S tosup plyacleaning 'fl'uidfto the blower elements at "desired intervalsQpreferablydependent upon the operationof the heater ,1 have provided an electric. contactdeviceT comprising a stationary-[disc '31 having electric contacts" rod U passes outwardly through the heater casing through a suitable gland V and carries at its upper extremity a spring to :whichis attached electrical contact .point X, lVhenrthe valve is in its open position, contact X engages contact Y servlng to complete the respective circuits to'the solenoid valves S, Stand S It isthus obvious that a given solenoid valvecan not operate unless thecorresponding contacts X and'Y'arein registration. Contact points 82, 33, 34 and 89' may be readily made sufficiently wide so that operation'of the respective solenoid valves'is insured. Also reduction gearing 41 may be regulated to produce any desired pe riod of blowing for the blower element suitable for the conditions of operation of the heater. F or example the contact disc 40 may (be rotated at a soeed of one revolution ever l eight hours to secure a convenient blowlng period.

[Yllhen the motor 28" is actuated all of the blower elements are rotated although cleaningfiuid is being supplied to only those elements associated with a singlechamber oi the heater. 1 So little power is consumed in this act'uation'of the element thatit'is morepractical to use a single motor as illustrated, than to provide a separate motor for each pair. .-()bv1ously, however, the latteris readily posjsible and would require only obvious slight changes in the wiring system.

"It will be apparent that l have thus provided means; for automatically periodically cleaning'the heating device at desired intervals with respectto the operation of the heater, and more particularly with respect to the 03eration of the valves controlling the" 1 1* passage of the 3.11 an gas throughtne heater;

- furthe'rl hai e pirovidedmeans for imparting "revolutions per minute of the crank dlsc 29 1s suitable'under'ordinary conditionsof operrotation to the blower elements during the i period of their" discharge of the cleaning fluid;

further that theblower elements are arranged to blow only when' the hot gases are flowing and in the direction of flowof the hot gases. This latter feature or my invention is of particular significance, since the disturbance caused byblowing directly against the incom ing airwould give rise to serious disadvan-. .tage resulting in undesirably contaminating 32., 33and 34c-respectively electricallyconl nected' throughleads 35, 36' and 37 to the j I solenoid valves S, S and S each of these the air with particles of soot and dirt from the heating plates and in clogging air l nes and burner or other (lGVlCGS t'o'which the preheated air is supplied. 1 have further provided means for automatically controlling the supply of cleaning fluid to'the blowers,

so as to insure the blowing only when the gas valves are opened, with resulting eflicicnt operation. 1

hat I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with an air heater having a chamber containing regenerative mate rial, of means subjecting said material alternately to the flow ot a heating and a fluid to be heated, a blower adapted to discharge cleaning fluid toward said regenerative material, and means operable to positively prevent the supply of cleaning fluid to said blower except when the heating gas is flowing in said chamber.

2. The combination with an air heater h aving a chamber containing regenerative material of means subjecting said material alternately to the flow of a. heating gas and a fluid to be heated, a blower adapted to discharge cleaning fluid toward said regenerative material, means for automat ly supplying cleaning fluid to said blower predetermined intervals, and means operable. to positively restrict said supply of cleaning fluid to periods when the heating gas is flowing in said chamber. 1

8. The combination with an air heater having a chamber containing regenerative material of means subjecting said material alternately to the flow of a heating gas and a fluid to be heated, the flow or" heating gas and fluid to be heated being in opposite directions, a blower adapted to discharge cleaning fluid toward said regenerative material, and means operable independence upon the operation of said first means to cut off the supply 0'' cleaning fluid to said blower except when the heating gas is flowing in said chamber.

l. The combination with an air heater having a chamber containing regonere material of means subjecting said material alternately to the flow of a heating gas and a fluid to be heated, a blower adapted to discharge cleaninng fluid towardsaid regenerative material, means forsupplying cleaning fluid to said blower, and means restricting said supply to periods when the heating gas is flowing in said chamber, the direction of discharge or" I the cleaning fluid "from the blower being sub stantially the same as the direction of flow of the heating gas.

5. The combination with an air heater having a chamber containing regenerative ma terial, of valve controlled mea for alternately subjecting said regenerative material to a heating gas and a fluid to be heated, means for actuating said valve controlled means, a blower for discharging clean fluid toward said regenerative material, and means actuated by the second said means for automatically periodically supplying c eans ing fluid to said blowers 7. The combination with an air heater having a chamber containing regenerative material, or means subjecting said material alternately to the flow of a heating gas and a fluid to be heated, a rotatable blower provided with a cleaning fluid discharge nozzle directed during rotation of the blower toward parts of the heater to be cleaned including said rege .erative material, electrically operated means for supplying cleaning fluid to the blower, electrically operated means for rotating said blower, and means dependent upon the operation of the first mentioned means for automatically aeriodioally energizingthe said electrically operated cleaning fluid supy means d rotating means. '7

8. T he combination with a regenerative heating device in which the fluid to be heated and the fluid giving off heat pass alternately through a plurality of chambers containing r generative material, of a blower device for each of said chambers, electrically operated means controlling the supply of cleaning fluid to the respective blowers, and means for selectively, periodically and automatically energizing the said electrically operated means, said last mentioned means being operable to prevent the discharge of cleaning fluid to each chamber when the fluid to be heated is passing through the respective b nber.

, *9. The combination with a regenerative heating device in which the fluid to be heated and the fluid giving oil heat pass alternately through a plurality of chambers containing regenerative material, oi a blower device for each of said chambers,'electrically operated means controlling the supply of cleaning fluid to the respective blowers,electrically operated means for rotatin said blowers,

I neans dependent upon the flow of fluid giving oil heat through the said chamber or se- 10. The'combination with a regenerativeheating device including a chamber containmg regenerative material, separate and simultaneously actuable heating gas inlet and outlet valves controlling the passage of heating gas to and from; said chamber respectively, separate and simultaneously actuable inlet and outlet valves controlling the flow of the fluid to be heated to and from said cham- 7 her and means for alternately unseating said groups of valves, of a blower device for cleaning said regenerative material, and

means operable in timed relation to said last flow of cleaning fluid to saidblower, means for actuating said valve, and means operable upon movement of said member to close said passageway for effecting a closing of said valve by said valveactuating means. i

' In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SAMUEL F COX.

mentioned means for automatically periodi cally supplying cleaning fluid to said blower. 11. The combination with a regenerative heating device'including a chamber contain ing regenerative material, separate and simultaneously actuable heating gas inlet and outlet valves controlling the passage of heat ing gas to andfrom said chamber respectively, separateand simultaneously actuable inlet and outlet valves controlling the flow of the fluid to be heated to and from said chamber and means for alternately'unseat ing said groups of valves, of a blower device for cleaning said regenerative material, means for automatically periodically supplying cleaning fluid to said blower, and means controlled by one of said groups of valves for restricting the supply of cleaning fluid to periods when the said heating gas valves are unseated. .12. :The combination with an air heater having a chamber containing regenerative material, of means subjecting said material alternately to the flow of a heating gas and a fluid to be heated,a blower adaptedto discharge cleaning fluld toward said regenerative material and means dependent upon the operat on of sald first mentioned means for limitingfthe supply of cleaning fluid to said blowerto periods whenthe heated gas is fl0wing; in said chamber.

13. The combination with an ,air heater having. a chamber containing regenerative material, of a valve for controlling the passage of a heating gas through the said chamher, a blower for discharging cleaning fluid toward said regenerative material and means operable upona predetermined movement of l the said valve for cutting oil? the supply of cleaning fluid to thesaid blower.

14, The f combination with an air heater having chamber containing regenerative,

material and a passage for supplying a heating gas to saidchamber, of a member movable to open and close said passage,a blower for discharging, cleaning fluidtoward said regenerative material, a valve controlling the supply of cleaning fluidto saidblower, and

V .movement of said member for controlling the actuation of said valve.

" generative material, avalve controlling the means' operable. in dependence upon the 

